A former Port Allegany woman will serve time in state prison for setting fire to a rental unit as she was moving out.
Mindy L. Logue, 59, was sentenced to a term of 18 months to seven years in state prison with credit for 42 days of time served. She will also pay $73,278.75 in restitution.
President Judge John Pavlock imposed the sentence Thursday in McKean County Court.
A jury found Logue guilty April 2 of all six charges against her: arson (endangering persons — firefighters), a first-degree felony; arson (endangering building), a second-degree felony; arson (endangering building), reckless burning and criminal mischief, all third-degree felonies; and recklessly endangering another person (firefighters).
On March 6, 2018, Logue set fire to a rental at 240 N. Brooklynside Road, Port Allegany, which she was renting from George Hults. She was in the process of moving out. No injuries were reported, but the property was a total loss.
District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer noted at the sentencing hearing that when Logue set the fire and left the scene, the situation was made more dangerous by the fact that a radio was left on in the home. Firefighters heard the radio and believed someone might be trapped inside.
Speaking in Logue’s defense, Public Defender Philip Clabaugh said Logue has no supervision history and explained she wasn’t coping well with the fact her husband died in December 2017.
Logue said, “I’d like to apologize to George and Eunice (Hults) for my mistake.”
She added that she is seeing a counselor and has a job now.
In his own talk to Logue, Pavlock addressed the dangerous situation she created for the firefighters.
He said, “There’s a dispute about whether other animals can see that certain things lead to consequences,” or whether animals act only on instinct. In contrast, “Humans know if you do something, even in a moment, that can be extremely dangerous.”
Pavlock explained, “It’s like we have a button, if you push it, it can hurt other people at any given time. We have to be responsible not to put other people in danger.”
In addition to incarceration, Logue is not to have any contact with the Hultses, and she must undergo a mental health evaluation. Pavlock ordered that she pay at minimum $40 toward her restitution.
